1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to front pillar structures located on both widthwise sides of the windshield of a vehicle and configured to support the front of a roof panel.
2. Related Art
A conventional front pillar structure for a vehicle includes a windshield, disposed on the front side of a vehicle, front doors disposed on both widthwise sides of the vehicle body, a front pillar disposed between the windshield and each front door, and a pillar outer cover disposed on the outer surface of each front pillar. A step is formed between the windshield and each pillar outer cover (for instance, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-5939). With this front pillar structure, when a vehicle is running in the rain, rain water which flows over the front surface of the windshield outwardly in the width direction is caused to flow along the step between the windshield and each pillar outer cover, whereby the flow of rain water to the glass of each front door is regulated, and the field of view in the lateral direction is secured when the vehicle is running in the rain.
With the above-mentioned front pillar structure, the flow of air becomes turbulent due to the step between the windshield and each pillar outer cover when the vehicle is running, and thus air resistance may increase. In addition, when the vehicle is running, a negative pressure may occur behind the front pillar, and thus aerodynamic performance may be reduced. In addition, when snow adhering to the windshield is wiped away by a wiper when the vehicle is running of a vehicle in the snowfall, the snow wiped away by the wiper is deposited on the step between the windshield and each pillar outer cover, and thus necessary field of view may not be assured. Furthermore, with the front pillar structure, the step between the windshield and each pillar outer cover may decrease the appearance of the vehicle design.